


This Time Around

by scheherazade



Category: Tenimyu RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-09-22 18:54:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9620990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scheherazade/pseuds/scheherazade
Summary: Kouji looks at him like he's grown a second head. "We are not doing that song."





	

**Author's Note:**

> Because of [this blog post](http://ameblo.jp/kenta-kamakari/day-20161226.html). The song in question is, as stated, [Umi no Koe](http://akazukinfitri.blogspot.com/2016/01/umi-no-koe-kiritani-kenta-lyric-kanji.html).
> 
> Dedicated to Dee, who -- despite claiming to have left the fandom years ago -- spent most of today discussing this ship with me.

Kouji looks at him like he's grown a second head. "We are not doing that song."

"Then I'll do it by myself. I can do it a cappella!"

"You cannot."

"No, I can't." Kenta smiles at the eye roll that admission gets him. "Which is why you should do it with me."

"Why?"

"Because you can actually play an instrument, and I need accompaniment if you don't want me to embarrass you at your own birthday event."

"I think that's pretty much a given anyway, don't you?"

"Hey!"

"Sorry." Kouji ducks his head, not quite hiding a smile, hands moving of their own accord as he tunes his guitar. "But it's true."

"I'm not going to embarrass you. What kind of friend do you think I am?"

"You once literally made me cry over someone's birthday, and then laughed at me. On camera."

Kouji plucks an experimental chord. Turns the pegs again.

Kenta sits down beside him. "Ruito's birthday?"

"Probably. It was a long time ago."

"I can't believe you still remember."

"Like I said."

"I wasn't laughing at you. Okay," Kenta adds, when Kouji gives him a disbelieving look, "I kind of did. Maybe. But I wasn't trying to embarrass you! It was just funny that you teared up over _that_ , when most of the time you were so calm about everything. Or you acted like you were."

 _Like you didn't care._ Neither of them says it.

Kouji shrugs. "Well. You're not doing that song. I have a bunch of others." A music stand scrapes over the floor, dragged closer. Pages rustle as Kouji sorts through them. Printed sheets and hand-scribbled notes. "I can actually play these."

"You wrote all these?"

"Most of them."

Kenta flips through the ones Kouji hands him. The turning of pages, someone's restless foot tapping on the floor, Kouji's fingers on guitar strings. Kenta says,

"I don't know any of these songs."

"They're not too complicated. I mean, it's not Mozart or anything—"

"It's brilliant, so you can stop that, first of all." Kenta smiles down at a coffee-stained page of hand-written lyrics. "You've always been good at this."

A pause. "Thanks."

"But I don't know any of this. You know?"

"Only me and the band know these, honestly. It's not like a lot of people follow us these days. And the ones who do would be just as happy listening to covers as original material."

Years ago, he would have sooner died than admitted any such thing. But it's years later, and Kenta is sitting next to him, reading the lyrics to a song that no one else has ever heard and saying things like,

"I should have."

"What?"

"I should have been following your career. I should know these songs. I should have been there." Kenta looks up from the page, at him. "I think that's the least a friend should do. You know?"

The pause goes on for just a millisecond too long.

"Yeah, well." Kouji plucks an opening chord out of habit, out of whatever it is that made him once turn his back on a stable if dubious career for an even more dubious chance to become an artist. Keep his integrity. Chase the dream. 

Whatever that's supposed to mean.

"Apology accepted," Kouji manages finally. "Now can you just pick a song?"

"Who said anything about apologizing?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not apologizing." Kenta's grin is crooked, the way it's always been when he really means it. "You're the one who didn't even call me for like a year."

"That was a long time ago," Kouji says defensively.

"So was Ruito's birthday party. You still remember that."

"I thought we agreed not to talk about it."

"Ruirui would be pretty hurt if we pretended we didn't know him."

"That's not— Has _he_ called you in the last however many years?"

"Dunno. Haven't been keeping track."

Kouji looks heavenward. Kenta laughs. 

The sound fades. "We don't have to talk about it," Kenta says next. "But I thought you should know."

"I was a dick. I know."

"Not that." When he glances over, Kenta's looking at the lyrics again. "I missed you a lot. We were both busy and stuff, but we're always gonna be busy. I think we could've done better, the both of us. I should have. I want you to know that."

"Nothing you can do about it now."

"No. But I can do better."

"What, now?"

"Yeah." Kenta looks at him, not quite smiling; earnest and certain. "If you'll let me."

Kouji turns to the music stand, shuffling pages of music and probably putting most of it out of order. Doesn't matter. He knows it all by heart.

"You can start by not doing that in public," he says, finally. "My event. So no embarrassing me. Promise."

"I promise not to make you cry on stage."

"Shut up. And pick a song."

"Already have." Kenta stills his hand, stops him from messing up the music any further. He gently taps the guitar. " _Umi no Koe_. C, G, F, C. Then A minor to G for the second line."

Kouji's hands move on the guitar strings, unthinking. He catches himself. "I thought you didn't play guitar."

"It's been a long time. I've picked up a thing or two."

"Why?"

"Well, I was in a band, in case you forgot. And yeah, it's not _Mozart_ or anything, but we did perform—"

"No, I meant." Kouji runs through the chords again. "Why this song?"

"Because it reminds me of you."

Kouji gives him a blank look. "This song is nothing like me." _Or you._ Either of them, the way they've been.

"Okay, fine." Kenta's smiling, really smiling now. Softer and kinder than Kouji can remember or remember deserving. "It doesn't remind me of you. But I want it to."

He can hear the chorus in his head, the chords, the words. Kouji gives in to his restless fingers, plays. It takes him two tries to get the second line right — because Kenta, even if he's picked up a thing or two, still doesn't know what a minor seventh is.

Kenta hums the melody under his breath. It doesn't sound too bad.

The chords fade.

Kenta beams at him. "So."

Kouji looks at his music stand. "I don't know."

"What? C'mon! It sounds good!"

Kouji makes a noncommittal sound. He manages to keep his lips from twitching, at Kenta's look of indignation. He always got too worked up over things he liked.

"How about we flip a coin?"

"Like hell." Kenta actually rolls up his sleeves. "Only one way to settle this."

Kouji eyes him. "With a fistfight?"

"Janken! You, me, right now. Let's go."

"Seriously?" Kouji puts his guitar aside. "You know, I don't think you've beaten me at janken in like...ten years?"

"More like you haven't played me in ten years. On your feet!"

Kenta's grinning at him, for all that he's trying to sound indignant. Kouji bites the inside of his cheek to keep a straight face. 

"Best of three?"

"Nobody likes a sore loser."

"Just giving you an out."

"Didn't ask for one." And there's that crooked grin again, real enough to make him forget when and where they are and how ridiculous this is, given all that's gone before.

But maybe they can do better.

"All right." Kouji rolls up his sleeves as well. "Let's go."


End file.
